This invention relates to systems and methods for optimizing electrical interconnects on laminated composite assemblies.
Some known laminated composite assemblies, especially those that include machine windings, can include a circuit board having layers of selectively etched copper separated by a thin dielectric sheet. As an example, windings for an axial flux machine are formed using radial operative conductors on the layers of the laminated composite assembly. Each operative conductor can be electrically coupled to other operative conductors of a common phase through end turns on selected layers of the laminated composite assembly. In such a configuration, when viewed as a two-dimensional overlay in the axial direction, the end turn sections from different phases may overlap. Therefore, in order to provide electrical separation between phases, the end turns for each phase can reside on separate layers, as opposed to the operative conductors, which do not have such overlap as viewed through the thickness of the board. The end turns for each phase can, therefore, coexist on a layer with the operative conductors of different phases.
The operative conductors of a phase that are on layers not having an end turn section for that phase can be electrically coupled to an end turn section for that phase with an electrical interconnect, which electrically couples conductors on different layers of the laminated composite assembly. The current density and/or thermal profile of the electrical interconnect can be relatively high when compared with the current density and/or thermal profile of the operative conductors and/or end turns.
Thus, a need exists for improved systems and methods of distributing current density and heat generation in laminated composite assemblies.